test-drb

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101090 discussions

vax/vms file archival ideas and suggestions

by trash3＠splab.cas.neu.edu

Hi all, I must be missing something, but I have not found a good way to preserve a bunch of vax/vms files. I've looked at VMSZip, Gzip, VMSTar, etc, and I must be missing something. Here is what I am trying to do: Before my vax finally dies, I want to take the hundred or so TK50s I have and restore them to the hard drive and then move them to PC-land for long term storage. This is halfway done with the tapes that are easily readable. I now have a bunch of directories, one for each tape, with files in them on the VAX. So the tree is only two levels deep on the vax. The files are pretty mixed: backup files, savesets, distributions, text files, etc. Right now the files amount to about 2Gb. Now, the environment is: VAX 3100-30 with SCSI external. THis is where I hooked up the TK70 (TZ30?) to read the tapes. I have network access and can get to it via FTP and TELNET from elsewhere, namely my PC. I also have a bunch of different SCSI tape drives, 8mm, 4mm, 9 track, etc. So, I could transfer all the files if I could containerize (zip) them. Do I try to Zip them somehow (what program) and FTP them, or do I just write them to duplicate disks/tapes and throw them on a shelf, hoping I have a machine to read them in the future? I'm usually pretty good with this stuff, having been around the VMS world for a few decades, but I just have this memory block, or the blinders are on. Any suggestions? Thanks Joe Heck

19 years, 8 months

Help about am2901

by akbari1ir＠yahoo.com

Dear Mr I am working on a project and I need gate level schematic or VHDL code of any one 4bit (or a simple)processor like AM2901 . Description by details will be useful . Do you have any ideas where I can find it? Respectfully, Amir __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

19 years, 8 months

Stan Veit's History of the Personal Computer Audio Book Podcast

by david＠classiccomputing.com

Hi everyone, I would like to announce my newest project, a weekly podcast of an excellent book on computer history, in audio format. I have received permission from the author, Stan Veit, and his publisher to pursue this. The first installment is now ready. My podcasts are in m4a format, but there is a zipped mp3 version of this one that can be downloaded from my web site. Though I am not a professional broadcaster, announcer or reader, I have worked hard to make this production as professional as possible. Please give it a listen if you have a chance. The publisher hopes to put out a new edition of the book soon. This original edition was published in 1993. I have personally sold 250+ copies of it over the years, as I am a big fan and I have met Stan personally. Stan opened the first personal computer store on the east coast in New York City, which was only the second one in the world. He was also the founding Editor-In-Chief of Computer Shopper magazine. Thanks very much, David David Greelish classiccomputing.com The Classic Computing Podcast Home of Computer History Nostalgia Stan Veit's History of the Personal Computer Audio Book Podcast

19 years, 8 months

Wow; $192 for a 5.25" floppy disk drive

by Watzman＠neo.rr.com

Re: " Hmmm, I've still got a few 3.5' BP drives in original shrinkwrap..." No go. There is no demand for either the 3.5" drives or the CD drives. Only the 5.25" drives ($192 was high, but these usually go for about $100). Reason: There ARE USB 3.5" floppy drives, and USB external CD drives. But, at present, if you need to read a 5.25" floppy on a PC, there is no easy way to do it. Modern motherboards no longer even support two floppy drives [at all, of any kind]. And laptops? Forget it. We NEED a USB 5.25" (and I'd argue even 8") drive interface device. It should support both 360k and 1.2MB 5.15" drives, and perhaps 8" drives as well. At present, the old parallel port 5.25" drives are the only option for many people. So they will fetch absurd prices. I have a 3.5" backpack also. And a backpack tape drive, which used a floppy interface. I'd love to convert either/both to a 5.25" drive if you know how.

19 years, 8 months

Trying to identify a Macro Assembler

by kelly＠catcorner.org

>From the header of the assembled files: SYSTEM ANALYZER IN-III IN-III MACRO ASMB IN-III LINKER VERSION 3-2 840801 IN-III MACRO ASMB. (Z80.ZILOG) VER. 1-01 830131 DATE 58.09.22 (Japanese style date, Showa 58 = 1983) Dates to around 1983/1984. Supports the 6301, 6809 and Z80. Thanks, Kelly

19 years, 8 months

Somewhat OT: Wireless MIDI

by cclist＠sydex.com

The talk about RS-232C reminded me of another simple interface that's been around for awhile--MIDI. I hate MIDI cables--I mean I REALLY hate them. I trip over them, they get tangled up in my chair and I'm afraid the dog will eat them. I've seen a couple of wireless MIDI adaptors, but since they're low-volume items, they're freakishly expensive. Does anyone have any ideas or experience with a low-budget wireless MIDI setup? Cheers, Chuck

19 years, 8 months

ESCON TYPE WRITER INTERFACE

by knightbug＠yahoo.com

Hello I was the factory rep on this product. I worked with HP on the installtion traing video. please feel free to reply. bk We will rise up on wings of gold 1Knight __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

19 years, 8 months

wavy diagonal lines

by chrism3667＠yahoo.com

across the screen. Specifically a trs80 model 4. Is this indicative of a video circuitry problem or a display problem? __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

19 years, 8 months

IIci cache cards?

by spectre＠floodgap.com

Anyone got any IIci cache cards they'd be willing to consider parting with? My indefatigable IIci (which has powered DNS, printer services and network power services to my apartment network for going on six years now) has burned through another one, evidenced by 1) a kernel panic in NetBSD 2) the Chimes of Death 3) the Chimes of Death going away replaced by normal booting when I replaced the cache card. It seems I go through one around every two years, so it was due to eat another one, I guess. The 32K variant will do nicely. Please respond offlist, and thanks. -- --------------------------------- personal: http://www.armory.com/~spectre/ --- Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com -- When people get acupuncture, do voodoo dolls die? --------------------------

19 years, 8 months

ID an 8" disk format (SOPHIA SYSTEMS???)

by kelly＠catcorner.org

> [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Dave Mabry > > Kelly Leavitt wrote: > > >Here are some of the strings: > >IN-III MACRO ASMB. (Z80.ZILOG) VER. 1-01 830131 DATE 60. > 1.10 PAGE 1 > >SYSTEM ANALYZER IN-III VER. 2-2 > >ISIS > >IN-IIIDIN6301 > >DINZ80B > > > >This was a pretty standard DS/DD 8" disk that read right in > using a catweasel and also with imagedisk. I think it might > have been an Intellec-III, but that is based on the repeated > appearance of ISIS, and the fact that it is ROM source. > > <SNIP> > One thing that I can say with certainty is that Intel never sold a > development system that used double-sided 8" disks. They had a > double-density format (MMFM, rather than MFM that most used) but they > were single-sided. I have several Series II and Series III Intellec > systems and none has double-sided disk drives. I have verified that it is indeed an DS/DD image. > > Another observation in the above strings...the Z80.ZILOG > isn't Intel. > They never sold anything that supported any Z-80-specific > systems. And > ISIS, from Intel, was ISIS-II. Intel would not have left off > the "-II" > from their identifiers. I have found references to z80 extensions for the Intellec series, however based on the DS/DD discrepancy and other clues, I must agree that this probably is NOT Intellec. > > Now, for my guess. This looks like possibly something from a > competitor > of Intel, or possibly one of the development systems from Zilog or > National. It is possible they used an ISIS-compatible file > format, or > object module format. That may be what the "ISIS" is all > about in that > string. I have been examining more of the disks (there are about 40 that appear to be panasonic source code). I have one that appears to be a CP/M disk with a lot of tools from "SOPHIA SYSTEMS CO., LTD.". They are an ICE developer. 60K CP/M VERS 2.2 SS-5000 SYSTEM Did Sophia Systems make entire units, or just the software and ICE attachments?

19 years, 8 months

PDT-11/150 down

by ssj152＠charter.net

Well, this is my first post to the list in quite a while; most of you may not even remember me... but I have been lurking. Now I have a problem I need help with. I have a PDT-11/150HC, the dual drive model with 32KW and the 3 extra serial ports. It had been working fine, up through last year, when I stored it. I was working on another project, building a PDP-11/53 from a DECServer 550 (like Jonathan Engdahl's) when I needed to copy some floppies. I brought out the trusty old PDT, and of course, it wouldn't work. I am using a VT420 with DECConnect wire and shells to talk to the PDT. The VT and wires are all known good, tested with other equipment. What happens is that when I turn the PDT on and type the 2 "@" characters to set the baud rate (4800), the #2 led properly goes out, the RUN led comes on, but NOTHING comes back to the terminal. Thinking that I needed a NULL MODEM in the cable, I put a MMJ crossover connector block between the terminal and the PDT. Strangely, I had exactly the same results - nothing out on the monitor - with TX and RX swapped how the heck does this happen? As I recall, the usual response is something like "Press B to Boot". In any event, pressing "B" does nothing either. I have performed the self test with the lid off and modules elevated and the result was that the first 4 LED's on the Intelligence Module came on. This is result #17, indicating that either the DISK Controller Module or Cable G1 has failed and need to be replaced - impossible, at least in the case of the Disk Module. Besides, what does this have to do with no response on the terminal? My next step is to test the power supply and trace power to the various modules, as per the Mini-Maintenance manual. I'm hoping that someone on the list is more familiar with the PDT and can offer useful suggestions that might shorten an exhaustive troubleshooting effort - I'm not really up to it. I have as resources 3 books, 1) The PDT 11/150 User Guide (EK-PT150UG-001), 2) The PDT 11/150 Installation Guide (EK-PT150-IN-002), and 3) The PDT 11/150 Mini-Maintenance Hardware Guide (EK-PT150-J1-002). I would very much like to get a copy of EK-PT150-TM, the Technical manual, in print or PDF format. I also have the usual DVM, a Tektronix 2215 dual channel scope, and the memories of being an electronics technician (with a radiotelephone license) during my late 20's, a lifetime ago. I spent the last 20 years of my so-called career as a systems programmer and am now retired. Can someone that knows about the PDT assist me? All useful input appreciated! Stuart Johnson Ssj152 AT charter DOT net Old man, Old hobby

19 years, 8 months

Experience with cartridge archival?

by trixter＠oldskool.org

A mutual acquaintance of mine is trying to write a thesis and needs a little help. He writes: "The project that I am working on is for my Masters in Library Information Science degree with a focus on Archiving. For my paper I have to write a 10 to 12 page paper on a subject that involves the preservation of something that has archival significance. So I decided to do it on video games and what steps are being taken to preserve them on the media that they were originally written on such as Atari and Nintendo cartridges some of which are degrading significantly and no longer work on the game systems they were designed for." If anyone has any help or leads for him, or any experience archiving ROMs/cartridges that may degrade over time and how to properly preserve them, please drop him a line at "andrew.pacilli at simmons.edu". Your input can shape an archivist's future :-) -- Jim Leonard (trixter at oldskool.org) http://www.oldskool.org/ Help our electronic games project: http://www.mobygames.com/ Or check out some trippy MindCandy at http://www.mindcandydvd.com/ A child borne of the home computer wars: http://trixter.wordpress.com/

19 years, 8 months

Info needed on some 1980s-era Intel parts

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

I've been trying to puzzle out a board in front of me, loaded with Intel chips. The CPU on it is a 16MHz 80186 - it appears to be an interface peripheral board for some Astro-Med product. Externally, it has a serial port and a GPIB port. What's strange to me is that I can't identify the parts that appear to be the GPIB buffers - a pair of 28-pin Intel D8293s. There's also a P82C08, which I can't find any hard info on. So... does anyone recognize the Intel part numbers P82C08 or D8293 (yes, I know the P is plastic and the D is ceramic; it's the parts themselves I'm curious about). Thanks, -ethan

19 years, 8 months

Honeywell 7-track tape drive - who has EVER seen this?

by hachti＠hachti.de

Hi folks, please take a look at this picture: http://h316.hachti.de?gallery/tape_drive2/dscn1704_1024.jpg More can be found here: http://h316.hachti.de?gallery/tape_drive/ http://h316.hachti.de?gallery/tape_drive2/ Who has ever seen/used/heard about/repaired this kind (similar is ok, too!) of tape drive? Doesn't matter if in a museum, private collection, basement, scrapyard, heaven or hell. Doesn't matter if long time ago or today - let me know! Please contact me if you have seen this kind of machine before. I am looking for EVERY trace of these machines! Every hint is appreciated. Also things like "I have seen such a unit 25 years ago in a factory for women's underwear which is closed since 15 years" are important. I hope to find still some traces. These machines were very heavy so there's a real chance that there are still some of them standing around forgotten. That's a Honeywell 4210 7-track tape drive. Once I've ruined three friends' backs with helping me to get it into my first floor collection room. And now I've got the problem that most of the electronics are missing. I don't have a solution yet. I don't know where to start. And I have no spares. But some documentation. I know only one thing: I want to and will bring it back to work! But it would be better and easier to find spare cards or a second unit. It would also be great to get some pieces (easily exchangeable parts) for some limited time - just to check the rest. So please try to remember and contact me. And yes, I have asked this before. Will do that again and again from time to time. Any luck with that could save me weeks of work (which I actually cannot afford at the moment). Thanks a lot! Best wishes, Philipp :-) -- You have to reboot your computer after powerfail? Haha! http://316.hachti.de

19 years, 8 months

Software Archaeology (was Oregon Software Pascal/2 (24 bit words))

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> Was about your H316. There is nothing new to report. It is still in Canada.

19 years, 8 months

Experience with cartridge archival?

by aliensrcooluk＠yahoo.co.uk

Sorry, forgot something (see bottom of email) --- Bryan Pope <bpope at wordstock.com> wrote: > And thusly were the wise words spake by Jim Leonar d > > > > A mutual acquaintance of mine is trying to write a > thesis and needs a > > little help. He writes: > > > > "The project that I am working on is for my > Masters in Library > > Information Science degree with a focus on > Archiving. For my paper I > > have to write a 10 to 12 page paper on a subject > that involves the > > preservation of something that has archival > significance. So I decided > > to do it on video games and what steps are being > taken to preserve them > > on the media that they were originally written o n > such as Atari and > > Nintendo cartridges some of which are degrading > significantly and no > > longer work on the game systems they were design ed > for." > > > > If anyone has any help or leads for him, or any > experience archiving > > ROMs/cartridges that may degrade over time and h ow > to properly preserve > > them, please drop him a line at > "andrew.pacilli at simmons.edu". Your > > input can shape an archivist's future :-) > > For Atari 2600, can you not just take a .bin > downloaded from AtariAge > and burn it to a suitable EPROM that is then > installed on a suitable > cartridge PCB? AtariAge even sells everything you > need to make your > own cartridges. As for Nintendo, I believe they > will be releasing > their back catalog for play on their new console, > Wii. > > Cheers, > > Bryan > Thats not strictly true. Nintendo are releasing *their* games for their old machines, such as the SNES (aka Super Famicom in Japan), for play on the Wii (pronounced "we" - it apparently means "all" in Japanese) However, there are about 2500 (perhaps more?) SNES games of which only 100 or so are by Nintendo. Plus, what about the games by companies that no longer exist, such as Psygnosis (bought by Sony around 1999), Bitmap Brothers (ok, still around but appear to be dead), Probe (dead), US Gold and their subsidiary Kixx (dead) and many others. *** forgotten bit follows *** I have found that some of my SNES and Megadrive games (on cartridges) sometimes fail to run the first time after ages (eg. a few years) of not being used. With the exception of one or two, they have all worked on the 2nd or 3rd attempts. I'm not sure why that is, but aslong as they work :) Regards, Andrew B aliensrcooluk at yahoo.co.uk

19 years, 8 months

Experience with cartridge archival?

by aliensrcooluk＠yahoo.co.uk

--- Bryan Pope <bpope at wordstock.com> wrote: > And thusly were the wise words spake by Jim Leonar d > > > > A mutual acquaintance of mine is trying to write a > thesis and needs a > > little help. He writes: > > > > "The project that I am working on is for my > Masters in Library > > Information Science degree with a focus on > Archiving. For my paper I > > have to write a 10 to 12 page paper on a subject > that involves the > > preservation of something that has archival > significance. So I decided > > to do it on video games and what steps are being > taken to preserve them > > on the media that they were originally written o n > such as Atari and > > Nintendo cartridges some of which are degrading > significantly and no > > longer work on the game systems they were design ed > for." > > > > If anyone has any help or leads for him, or any > experience archiving > > ROMs/cartridges that may degrade over time and h ow > to properly preserve > > them, please drop him a line at > "andrew.pacilli at simmons.edu". Your > > input can shape an archivist's future :-) > > For Atari 2600, can you not just take a .bin > downloaded from AtariAge > and burn it to a suitable EPROM that is then > installed on a suitable > cartridge PCB? AtariAge even sells everything you > need to make your > own cartridges. As for Nintendo, I believe they > will be releasing > their back catalog for play on their new console, > Wii. > > Cheers, > > Bryan > Thats not strictly true. Nintendo are releasing *their* games for their old machines, such as the SNES (aka Super Famicom in Japan), for play on the Wii (pronounced "we" - it apparently means "all" in Japanese) However, there are about 2500 (perhaps more?) SNES games of which only 100 or so are by Nintendo. Plus, what about the games by companies that no longer exist, such as Psygnosis (bought by Sony around 1999), Bitmap Brothers (ok, still around but appear to be dead), Probe (dead), US Gold and their subsidiary Kixx (dead) and many others. Regards, Andrew B aliensrcooluk at yahoo.co.uk

19 years, 8 months

Pertec / 9 track cable question

by fireflyst＠earthlink.net

Hi all, I've had a malfuntioning magtape setup on my 11/23+ for some time and I'm wondering, is it the card, cabling, or drive? here's what I've got: Overland OD3201 magtape drive (works fine when the parallel port connection is used when connected to a PC) Dilog DQ132 pertec tape controller Two straight-through ribbon cables, 50 pin IDC on one end, 50 pin cardedge on the other. J1 on card is cabled to P1 on drive. J2 on card is cabled to P2 on drive. When I try to perform an operation on the tape drive, it times out The drive does spin a bit first. Rewind operations work correctly. It seems to do this no matter how I have the card configured. Are these cables really supposed to be straight through, or what am I missing? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! Julian

19 years, 8 months

new part-faulty RAM chips?

by julesrichardsonuk＠yahoo.co.uk

Does anyone know if the Sinclair Spectrum ever made use of RAM chips that were known to be part-faulty as-new? This was just asked over on another mailing list... I recall discussions about such chips in the past on here, where manufacturers would sell 'faulty' RAM to vendors at lower cost where only half of the address map could store data reliably. However, I'm sure that was late 70s or so, not the early 80s when the Spectrum existed; by then I would have thought that the manufacturers would have had the reliability issues sorted out and would simply dump faulty stock? Anyone able to confirm? cheers Jules -- If you've ever wondered how you get triangles from a cow You need buttermilk and cheese, and an equilateral chainsaw

19 years, 8 months

Western Union Teletype Model 15 or 19

by ENelson＠mayerbrownrowe.com

I am in possession of a Western Union teletype machine - I don't have the exact model number with me. I would like to get rid of it and was hoping you might have some idea as to how I can sell or relocate it. Thank you in advance of your consideration. Elaine Nelson Telephone: 312.701.8010

19 years, 8 months

Zebra_Design.pdf

by aek＠bitsavers.org

>Did anyone happen to download "Zebra_Design.pdf" "An Outline of the >Functional Design of the Stantec Zebra Computer" I've just made scans available on http://bitsavers.org/pdf/stantec in the past few days I'm trying to locate a copy of the document which describes the Algol compiler for the Zebra. The copy that was recently donated to CHM was has severe termite damage.

19 years, 8 months

Classic ports missing on modern machines (was Re: PDT-11/150 down)

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

On 10/18/06, Sridhar Ayengar <ploopster at gmail.com> wrote: > Robert Feldman wrote: > > We have a Dell box at work that doesn't even have a Centronics parallel > > port -- just USB ports. I needed to get a USB-to-Parallel converter > > cable to hook up the laserjet to this box. > > My new PC doesn't have one either, but that's no big loss as all of my > printers are on the network in one way or another. That's true at my place, too, but I have plenty of uses for a parallel port on a machine that has nothing to do with printing and I'm not happy to see that port go on modern machines. (examples - parallel-wired LCDs on LCDproc, analog meters, etc). Likewise, I lament the loss of the serial port on modern laptops (still on desktops so far). I probably have some serial device plugged into my primary desktop 90% of the time. -ethan

19 years, 8 months

ID an 8" disk format

by kelly＠catcorner.org

I've started to read some of the disks. Does anyone recognize the following strings? I'm trying to ID the source OS for the following (it is the ROM source for a Panasonic KX-D4911 terminal). Here are some of the strings: IN-III MACRO ASMB. (Z80.ZILOG) VER. 1-01 830131 DATE 60. 1.10 PAGE 1 SYSTEM ANALYZER IN-III VER. 2-2 ISIS IN-IIIDIN6301 DINZ80B This was a pretty standard DS/DD 8" disk that read right in using a catweasel and also with imagedisk. I think it might have been an Intellec-III, but that is based on the repeated appearance of ISIS, and the fact that it is ROM source. Any clues? Thanks, Kelly

19 years, 8 months

DEC-20, VAX-8600, PDP-11/70 and Update computer club...

by bqt＠softjar.se

Since we've been mentioned, I might as well fill in the blanks and correct the errors. Yes, Update, located in Uppsala, Sweden, have two DEC-2060 machines. Both were operational when we stopped running them. The last we stopped in 1993 or 1994 (don't remember for sure now). I believe we could atleast get one of them back into running shape if we just had space. But at the moment we don't. And this all is in the hands of Uppsala University. The machines are Aida.Update.UU.SE and Carmen.Update.UU.SE. (Not sure if the DNS is being maintaned for these right now.) While we're at it, we also have one VAX-8650, which is operational. We only need to turn the key, and it will boot. Normally we boot NetBSD on it, but we can also boot it into VMS or Ultrix. (Krille.Update.UU.SE) And someone also mentioned DECsystem-570, which is a PDP-11/70 in a corporate cabinet. We have one 11/70 (in the old style) which also is just a turn of a key away from running. (Magica.Update.UU.SE). However, we do not have any KS-10 machines. I believe Stacken (the computer club at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden) have both KS-10 and KL-10 machine still around. In the past they also had a KA-10 machine, which might still be around. And I know of another private individual who have a working KI-10 machine in Stockholm. That is actually a tri-CPU KI-10. As for periperials, we have: RP07 (2) RP06 (4) TU77 (2) TU78 (1) And of course we have MSCP disks and HSCs for the VAXen and PDP-11s. (Oh, and we have another 11/70 and 8650 in storage) Some images and pictures (rather incomplete) can be found at: http://www.update.uu.se/~bqt/computers.html There should be some somewhere on Updates official pages as well, but I can't find any right now... Johnny

19 years, 8 months

Semi-OT: "Inkjet Printable" CD/DVD blanks

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

Strange question, but it directly relates to preservation of classic computer data. My perfered brand of CD/DVD blanks are the Verbatim DataLifePlus disks. There is no doubt in my mind that these disks have a good long lifespan (though I do need to see about doing a data refresh on some). However, due to their cost, they are no longer that easy to obtain. One source I've been considering using seems to only sell the ones that are "InkJet Printer" ready. I have no desire to use an inkjet printer to do this, does anyone know how safe is it to use a standard "CD Marker" on these blanks? It seems to me that these might actually be easier to write on, and be able to read what you've written than most I've been using. Zane

19 years, 8 months

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